Improved apparatus for separating metals from ores



WHELPLEY & STORER.

Ore Separator.' r No. 48,226.- Y Patented M1813, 1865.

f d UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE..

J. D. WHELPLEY AND JACOB J,- STORR, OF BOSTON, MASS..

Specification formingpart of Letters Patent No. 48,226, dated June 13,1865.`

To all whom 'it may concern.-

Be it known that we, J. D. WHELPLEY and J. J STORER, of Boston, in thecounty of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new anduseful Method ot' Separating Metals from Ores and Oinders; and we dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure l is a top view. Fig. 2- is a sideelevation.A Fig. 3 is a vertical section in the lines a: wand y y ofFig. l; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section inthe line z z of Fig. 1.

Like parts are indicated bythe same letters in all the drawings.

The purpose ot' our invention is to separate metal from earthy and othersubstances in which it is diffused in small particles-as, for example,native gold from pulverized quartz and other rock in which its particlesare diffused, also from the sands o f rivers and hillsides, and from anyartificial ash, cinders, or other product of metallurgical processwithwhich it may be mixed in small grains-dispensing in part with the useot' mercury and chemical reagents, and otherwise shortening andsimplifying the process of metallic separation until by the processhereinafter described all but a small percentage of earth and otherforeign substance shall be removed from the metal; also, to separatemetallic copper from the rock in which its particles are diffused andfrom slags and furnace-cinder generated in the process ofcopper-working, and in the partial separation of copper from its ores bythe actionof heat; also, to separate brass and other alloys and metalsfrom furnace cinder and i ashes, and the remains of crucibles,and fromthe irefuse of foundries and the ash and cinders of furnaces, as well asparticles of iron from the'same; and the nature of our inventionconsists, rst, in the application of gravity in counteractionto currentsot' air, while the mixture of earth and metal is confined in an uprightmill, the air moving upward to carry oft` the fine `dust of earthymatter and other j" impurities, while the metal falls by its superior tgravity downward along the sides of the cylinder ofthe mill; second, inseparating such portions of metallic dust as may be carried off from themill by a current of air through the same, which object we effect bycausing the current of air from said mill to pass through a vertical,inclined, or horizontal pipe, the extremity of which is inclosed withina larger and longer one into or over a pocket or chamber, and thenceupward through the aforesaid larger and longer pipeleadin gfrom saidpocket, theheaviermetallic particles in the descending current shootingor falling downward from the first-mentioned 1 pipe to the bottom ofsaid pocket, where they are deposited, while the earthy iioating dust isprevented from entering the pocket by an auxiliary current ot' airentering at a windagedoor, and is carried upward by the ascendingcurrent of air through the second pipe into a suitablereceptacle, theprinciple of separating being the same in beth cases-i. e., gravity ormomentum opposed to a current ot' air-the same arrangement beingduplicated and repeated as often as may be required, so laste form aseries of pockets, each in succession retaining a finer grade ofmetallic deposit.

Our invention further consists in the employment of a water-tank andspray-wheel (to be also used as the draft-wheel of the apparatus) in theexit or chimney, through which the current of air is discharged from theseparating apparatus, whereby the floating dust separated from the metalis wet down and deposited on the bottom of said tank, the object of thewetting being to'prevent nuisance from the diffusion of dust in theatmosphere.

To'enable others skilled in the art .to use our method of separatingmetals, &c., we will now describe the same and the machine or apparatusby means of which we carry our improvement into practical operation.

The ore of copper, gold, or other metal containing the free particles ofmetal is rst concentrated and broken in the usual manner, throwing outas much as possible ef the refuse matter. It' any large masses of `metaloccur, -they are nowr separated by screeningand thrown aside. Theremainder, containing only fine particles or metallic dust, is thencrushed or ground by stamps orother machines as fine as possible. If anymetal can still be separated by screening, it is done. .The remainder isthen fed into the cylinder of the separator.

The same preliminary process must be gone through in the preparation offurnace slag, oinders, frit, or ashes obtained as refuse from othermetallurgical processes or purposely obtained for the present process.

The drawings represent an apparatus or machine by means of which theprinciple of our improvement is carried into practical operation.

M is a wooden frame for supporting the different parts ot' theapparatus.

A is an upright cylinder, of iron, constituting the shell of the mill,which is madein two parts and hinged together, as shown in Figs. l and2, and confined by a hasp, so that it may be readily opened for thepurpose ot' inspecting and repairing the working parts inclosed within.

b is the vertical shaft, turning in suitable bearings, c and c, at thetop and bottom, supporting the system of air-wheels, (to be described,)and driven by'means of the pulley d.

h h h It are the air-wheels, consisting ot'disks of iron, (fast to theshaft,) radial arms f, and fans g, as shown in Fig. 3.

(t is the hopper into which the material is thrown, and from which it isfed into the mill by any suitable mechanism.

o is a sliding valve, by means of which the air-port over the top of themill may be opened or closed for the purpose hereinafter described. Atthe side and bottom of the mill or cylinder A is a tangential opening orconductor, E, the

shape and position ot' which are clearly shown in Figs. l, 3, and 4.This conductor leads horizontally into a closed chamber or pocket, B, asrepresented in Figs. 1 and 3, providedwith a hinged cover, d, slidingvalve w, and door b.

H is an air-port or conductor under the mill, and provided with a valve,i, the operation ot' which will be hereinafter explained.

F is a pipe leading t'rom the top ofthe pocket or chamber B into thehorizontal conductor j,

which leads from the top ot' the mill into the vertical pipe or condnctor Z, which latter opens into the larger vertical conductor m, asrepresented in Fig. 3, in the close chamber or pocket C.

n is a sliding valve, by opening which a cur' rent of air (more or less)is admitted `into the pocket C.

a is a side door at the bottom of the pocket G, through which thedeposits in the same may be taken out.

misa vertical pipe or conductorleading from i the pocket O into theconductor G, which lat-V ter opens into' the center ofthe chamber o, in

which revolve the arms r and fans g of the y .draft-wheel, whose axle Pis driven by the or partitions 'in the chimney D, to arrest the currentof air and give it a zigzag passage to the exit u.

There are two methods of using the abovedescribed apparatus, the onewhere the metal to be separated is very fine, and the other where thematerial is coarser. In both cases the metal to be separated is fed inthrough the hopper a, as shown by the arrow l in Fig.-3.

1n the first method (the valves tand w being'shut and the valves t', 7c,and n being open) the heavier particles of met-al, when they reach thebottom of the mill or cylinder A, are driven by centrifugal force through the tangential conductor E, and drop, as shown by arrow 22'in Fig.3,011 the bottom ofthe pocket B, forming a heap, y, while the lighterparticles are carried upward through the mill or cylinder A by thecurrent of air in the direction of the arrows 2, 3, 4, and 5 into thehorizontal conductor j, and thence downward, as shown by arrow 6, intothe Vertical pipe l, the heavier particles shooting downward by theirown weight and momentum onto the bottom ofthe pocket C, forming the heapx, while the lighter particles are drawn, as shown by arrow 7, upwardthrough the pipe m and in the direction ofarrow ll, through the passageG, into the chamber o ot' the draft-wheel, and thence upward in thedirection of arrows 12, 13,141,15, 16, and 17 through the chimney orspray-chamber D, where they are thoroughly wet down, and finallydeposited on th'e bottom of the tank s, so that nothing but air and-mistwill escape at the exit u into the atmosphere. To prevent any portion ofliuefloatingdust from escaping from the pipe m into the chamber C acurrent of air is admitted through the windage-door n, which by externalatmospheric pressure causes an upward movement ofair in the direction ofthe arrows 9 and l0 into the pipe m, as represented in Fig. 3. Thisupward auxiliary current has the effect of a screen.

In the second method of operating-Le., where thematerial to be separatedis coarserthe heavier particles of metal, on reaching the bottom of themill, are driven by centrifugal force through the tangential conductor Einto the pocket B, as in the Iirst method above'described. In thissecond method, however,(the ports i and k being shut and t', fw, and nbeing open,) the lighter particles vwill be carried by the descendingcurrent of air (which enters at the top of the mill through the air-porto) in the direction of the red arrows 18, 19, and 20, through the mill Aand the conductor E, into the pocket B, and thence upward inthedirection of arrow 2l into the pipe F, `from which they are dischargedinto the shorter vertical pipe Z, and through it into the longerverticalpipe m, the heavier particles moving downward by their ownweight and momentum in the direction of the arrow 8 to thev bottom ofthe pocket C, where they are deposited inthe heap w, while the lighterparticles take the direction of the arrow 7 and upward through the pipem, and thence into the spray-chamber,

as described in the first method of operating, the current of air suckedin through the windage-port w keeping the dust from collecting in thepocketB, and the current through the Windage-port n preventing the dustfrom collecting in the pocket C.

The drawings represent only two pockets, B and G, and two pipes,l and m,leading into and out of the latter. It is obvious, however, that theupper end of the pipe m might lead into another pipe similar to l overanother pocket similar to C, and 'thence into another ascending pipe,and so on, forming a series of pipes and pockets, by means of which theprocess of separation may be carried on to any required extent, eachsucceeding pocket receiving a finer grade of deposit than the preceding.Formostpurposes,however,the number shown in the drawings, together withthe spray-chainber, will be found sufficient.

It is also obvious that the pipes l and m, instead ot being vertical,may be inclined or even horizontal, and yet accomplish indifterentlywell the object required. We prefer, however, to construct themsubstantially as` shown in Fig. 3.

We disclaim the removal of the pulverized material through a centralopening about the shaft or axis of the mill, the same having alreadybeen patented by us September 30, i862; but

What we do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The separating ot' metals from mixtures of earth and metal by theapplication of gravity in counter action to currents of air in anupright pulverizing-mill, the air moving upward to carry 0E the inerdust of earthy matter, while the metal falls byits superior gravity,substantially as described. n

2. The tangential conductor E, leading from the periphery of the mill,in combination with the pocket B or its equivalent, substantially as andfor the purpose described.

3. The shorter pipe Z within the larger and longer pipe m, when arrangedin reference to the mill A and pocket C, or their equivalents,substantially as set fortl1,ar1d for the purpose described.

4.` The employment of a water-tank and a draft and spray wheel.substantially as set forth, and for 'the purpose described.

5. Thepipe F, in combination with the pocket B, pipes l fm, and pocketC, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The windage-port to in the pocket B, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

7. The wndage-port n in the pocket C, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

8. The air-port v, in combination with the mill -A, tangential conductorE, pocket B, and

pipe F, substantially as and for the purpose described.

9. The valves k and 'i at the top and bottom ot' the mill, to change thedirection ot' the currents of air through the same, substantially asdescribed.

10. The shelves or partitions t, arranged in thel exit or chimney D,substantially as and for the purpose described.

JAMES D. WHELPLEY. l JACOB J. STGR-ER. Witnesses:

N. AMES, GEO. R. CLARKE.

